Urban schools have more challenges than other schools. The students, from disadvantaged backgrounds may have complicated home-lives which cause them to come to school hungry, unprepared, and with more on their minds than just learning. The students have fewer positive learning experiences and less background knowledge than more privileged students. When they come to school there may not be enough resources like books, supplies, or even teachers that speak their language. However, if any students need the help of an education to increase the potential of their future opportunities, it is these students
As a science teacher in an urban school my goal is to prepare students for future learning both in the sciences and basic learning skills. I will teach in a way that is interesting and relatable. Many students don’t think science is important or relevant but as a scientist turned teacher I hope to leverage my experience and passion for science to get students interested. I hope to use current news stories to create teachable moments and to illustrate the ways science impacts their lives. I want students to be able to ask tough questions and to analyze data and information critically. I want them to be at a minimum, scientifically literate, and for any students with a true interest in the sciences, I hope to encourage and help them prepare for a science career.
The basic learning skills I hope to teach are metacognition, responsibility for one’s own learning, critical thinking, and problem solving. For basic metacognition, students need to be able to identify what they understand and what they need to learn better. I want students to know what steps to take when they do not understand a topic well enough. I hope to encourage growth mindsets where students feel that they can continue to grow, learn, and overcome obstacles with effort and hard work. With a basic understanding of how to learn, students can learn any topic they want to from books, online videos, from tutors, or in classes. If one takes responsibility for one’s own learning and knows how to access learning, one can learn any subject that is required or interests them. This is such a powerful skill because it can take you anywhere.
My lessons will be integrated, experiential, cooperative, and differentiated. Science, reading, math, history, and art should be taught in an integrated way. Outside the classroom these topics are combined into a variety of mixes and combinations that make up the job force. By combining the subjects in a more integrated way, students are able to make more connections and see the importance of different subjects better. I want to work with other teachers in collaborations to connect the curriculum in different subjects. I also want learning to be experiential. I believe that underprivileged students have fewer positive life experiences that foster an interest in learning. It their home lives they have fewer trips to nature centers, museums, libraries, and other locations that lead to curiosity, interest, and non-formal learning. I want to expose the students to some of these experiences with fieldtrips when possible but also through virtual trips through videos, projects, and bringing stuff into the classroom. The more a student sees and hears and experiences, the more connections the student can make to the content. Some lessons should be cooperative. Students can learn to work together, depend on each other, and use each other’s strengths and experiences to enhance learning. Differentiation is important because people learn in different ways and they come into my classroom with different background knowledge. Providing lessons in different mediums (video, text, hands on…) on different levels will ensure all students are learning.
I want my classroom environment to be a safe, open location where all students feel that they belong and are part of a learning community. The classroom will also be a place of mutual respect and trust where everyone is welcome and encouraged to work hard, think hard, and grow.
As a science teacher in an urban school my goal is to prepare students for future learning both in the sciences and basic learning skills. I will teach in a way that is interesting and relatable. Many students don’t think science is important or relevant but as a scientist turned teacher I hope to leverage my experience and passion for science to get students interested. I hope to use current news stories to create teachable moments and to illustrate the ways science impacts their lives. I want students to be able to ask tough questions and to analyze data and information critically. I want them to be at a minimum, scientifically literate, and for any students with a true interest in the sciences, I hope to encourage and help them prepare for a science career.
The basic learning skills I hope to teach are metacognition, responsibility for one’s own learning, critical thinking, and problem solving. For basic metacognition, students need to be able to identify what they understand and what they need to learn better. I want students to know what steps to take when they do not understand a topic well enough. I hope to encourage growth mindsets where students feel that they can continue to grow, learn, and overcome obstacles with effort and hard work. With a basic understanding of how to learn, students can learn any topic they want to from books, online videos, from tutors, or in classes. If one takes responsibility for one’s own learning and knows how to access learning, one can learn any subject that is required or interests them. This is such a powerful skill because it can take you anywhere.
My lessons will be integrated, experiential, cooperative, and differentiated. Science, reading, math, history, and art should be taught in an integrated way. Outside the classroom these topics are combined into a variety of mixes and combinations that make up the job force. By combining the subjects in a more integrated way, students are able to make more connections and see the importance of different subjects better. I want to work with other teachers in collaborations to connect the curriculum in different subjects. I also want learning to be experiential. I believe that underprivileged students have fewer positive life experiences that foster an interest in learning. It their home lives they have fewer trips to nature centers, museums, libraries, and other locations that lead to curiosity, interest, and non-formal learning. I want to expose the students to some of these experiences with fieldtrips when possible but also through virtual trips through videos, projects, and bringing stuff into the classroom. The more a student sees and hears and experiences, the more connections the student can make to the content. Some lessons should be cooperative. Students can learn to work together, depend on each other, and use each other’s strengths and experiences to enhance learning. Differentiation is important because people learn in different ways and they come into my classroom with different background knowledge. Providing lessons in different mediums (video, text, hands on…) on different levels will ensure all students are learning.
I want my classroom environment to be a safe, open location where all students feel that they belong and are part of a learning community. The classroom will also be a place of mutual respect and trust where everyone is welcome and encouraged to work hard, think hard, and grow.